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An active transportation link between Ottawa and Gatineau has been closed for the winter.
A memo from City of Ottawa staff on Tuesday said the Chief William Commanda Bridge, a multi-use pathway that opened this past summer, was not designed for winter pedestrian or cycling use.
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“Due to the bridge’s steel structure and timber plank surface, the City is unable to safely undertake any plowing, salting or grit operations,” the memo read. “With the dropping temperatures and an early winter weather event posing risks of ice accumulation on the bridge deck, the City is closing the structure today and asking all residents to respect posted signage on site to please stay off the bridge for their safety.”
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As of Tuesday afternoon, Ottawa was under a freezing rain warning and a special weather advisory for snow. The advisory said the region should expect five to 10 centimetres of snow, which could be mixed with freezing rain and ice pellets. The weather warning said freezing rain was expected to fall for “several hours” on Tuesday evening, ending near midnight, with two to four millimetres of ice expected to build up in some areas.
City councillors Jeff Leiper (Kitchissippi) and Ariel Troster (Somerset) said they opposed the bridge’s closure for the winter season.
On social media, Troster said she and were “urging staff to find alternatives, including allowing the bridge to be groomed for skiing or fat bikes” as a part of the city’s Kichi Sibi Winter Trail, a winter pathway.
Leiper said he and Troster “will continue to press the city to find a way to keep it open safely.”
The staff memo said the city would use the first season of operation for the Commanda bridge “to assess winter use requirements and feasibility and to better understand how the structure responds to winter weather.”
Previously known as the Prince of Wales Bridge, the Chief William Commanda Bridge reopened in early August after being modified for bikes and pedestrians, with funding including an $8-million federal grant from Infrastructure Canada and $12 million from the City of Ottawa.
The cycling and pedestrian conversion isn’t described as permanent since the bridge might one day be used for rail service again.
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